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Lee Winfield

A review of the review

Education

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A short review of my notes from Monday's Thesis review:

1.Many people said it was a great but then asked 'what are you DESIGNING?' my answer was that I am designing the system and will focus on making it adapt to different schools of different sizes, also focusing on the interaction of the children as they wash their hands- the playful aspect.
I also said that my goal is to solve this particular problem as best i can and i am not going to ignore a great possible solution if it doesnt seem like a 'product'

Another inquiry was whether such a large scale operation was necessary.. (as in the amount of space the system will need) its a good point but I want the children to feel that they are doing it together. there is, however no reason why it cant be more linear.

Patty Beirne's advise was very helpful. She was afraid that I am so excited about the whole picture that I wont have time to concentrate on every detail. In essence, she told me to prioritize. Maybe a class builds their own 'station', or use existing gardening components.
This is something that I am concerned about- will I be able to overlook every detail? the controlled flow of water on the plants, the game between children, the container holding the water, making it adapt so that schools of various sizes will be able to add more stations to the base container.
and what about breakage? materials.. sourcing.
and- what will I be presenting in the end?

A friend asked me about the incentive for the children to wash their hands- this might be an issue. Yes, the teachers can demand that all children wash their hands before coming to class, but how to I make them use the water to wash hands instead of spraying it over each other? I dont see this as a great problem, but it should not be overlooked.

Matthew Hoey was excited about the ideas. He said that it is a very 'cradle to cradle idea' of closing a full cycle, however the boards did not convey this very simplistic notion.

Overall,
No one really doubted the plants.. which are my main concern.
The quantities of water needed for the plants.. would birds eat the plants? what happens off-season?is the soil good enough?
That is what I am concerned with right now more than anything else.

Next priorities:

Further recognise plant

make sure that the system works as a 'hand washing' station first and foremost. (slightly more important than watering plants, playful etc)- rate of water, calculate amounts of water needed daily